High on confidence after snapping their eight-match winless run, Bengaluru FC will look to continue their good form when they take on Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League match at the Fatorda Stadium here on Friday.
Bengaluru seem to have finally found the right balance. They kept their first clean sheet in 11 games in their 2-0 win against SC East Bengal, which was probably their best and most clinical outing of the season.
"There is a lot of positivity now. Players, of course, believe in each other. But now it's more because of the way we have been playing the last 2-3 games. They have been more compact," said Bengaluru's interim coach Naushad Moosa.
"After Hyderabad (game), you didn't see the same mistakes happening in the last game. Everyone was more cautious. Everybody was happy. That is what I see in players," he added.
Friday's clash is between a side that is strong at set-pieces and a team that has struggled to defend. Chennaiyin have conceded eight goals (50 per cent of their total goals) so far from these situations.
But Moosa anticipates a tough fixture since Chennayin will have all their foreigners available for selection.
"They suffered because they didn't have their central defender playing. But for tomorrow's game, all the foreigners will be available so it won't be easy," said Moosa, who added that his team would have to be extra cautious as new Chennaiyin signing Manuel Lanzarote would be available for the clash too.
"We will have to be compact the way we played against East Bengal. Not letting in the penetrating passes in the final third. That will play a very important role in how we defend and not give them scoring opportunities," he stated.
Bengaluru will miss the services of Rahul Bheke, Juan Gonzalez and Leon Augustin.
Chennaiyin's misfiring attack has let them down. Coach Csaba Laszlo's side failed to score in eight games despite creating chances.
Laszlo highlighted that concern and urged his side to remain focused ahead of the clash.
"If you want to be in the top four, we have to win the remaining games. These are like five finals and this is what we are working on, to try to win against Bengaluru first," said Laszlo.
"I hope we can show that we can score goals because the problem is that we create a lot of chances but don't score. We have to be very focused on the game.
"We are here to try to win games. I don't think about my future but I think about the future of the club. I think we have a very difficult game against Bengaluru and my attention is towards preparing the team," he added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor